Swollen inguinal lymph node [10 points!]?!
Question: This morning I noticed that my left inguinal lymph node is slightly swollen and very tender. I have not been sick recently and feel fine, other than normal allergies. I will call my doctor if I feel that it gets worse or persists longer than a few days - I'm wondering if anyone else has had an encounter with this before and what happened, what their doctor said if they saw one?
Don't bother with "go to the ER right now" or telling me I have cancer because I have researched this a little and know what some causes are and when to seek medical attention.
Will choose best answer.
Answers: This morning I noticed that my left inguinal lymph node is slightly swollen and very tender. I have not been sick recently and feel fine, other than normal allergies. I will call my doctor if I feel that it gets worse or persists longer than a few days - I'm wondering if anyone else has had an encounter with this before and what happened, what their doctor said if they saw one?
Don't bother with "go to the ER right now" or telling me I have cancer because I have researched this a little and know what some causes are and when to seek medical attention.
Will choose best answer.
As my doctor put it "your body is fighting off an infection and only it knows what and where it is." I had already waited a few days before going to her because, like you, I had done some research on what it could be. She did give me an antibiotic to combat whatever the infection was and said that if it didn't get better with the antibiotics to go back and we would reevaluate.
Lymph nodes are a part of the immune system. When they get larger than normal and tender they most likely try to help the immune system to filter the infection. Sometimes they get infected and need to be treated with an antibiotic.
Do you have any recent scratches or wounds anywhere on the body? If yes, that's probably the reason for the larger than normal and tender node. If you have a fever or the node gets more tender, bigger, or starts to drain, see your health care provider ASAP.
Hope this helps.